After a number of years, I have just re-read the 1991 BASI report on See and Avoid.

A number of people have ridiculed this report in previous posts and I am wondering what the objections are?

To me it makes very good arguments for the scrapping of NAS as NAS uses "unalerted see and avoid" as the primary means of risk mitigation.

But then I am just a Profesional Pilot, not a Private Pilot!

As see and avoid is the primary mitigation for collision avoidance in "G" airspace, how can an IFR pilot comply with Jepp page ATC AU-714, 5.4 especially 5.4.2(d).

CASA requires a pilot to put his/her head into paperwork at the exact time they should be looking out the window, for a piece of useless information (TAAATS knows all this anyway). A pilot should just be able to say: "departed this time, tracking ...... climbing .....".

Of course Open Mike and the electronic person only care about the private end of town and nothing about pilot work load etc that the NAS imposes on IFR types!!

Capt Snooze

5th Aug 2003 12:58

Niles,

Is there a link to that report?

Snooze

NOtimTAMs

5th Aug 2003 18:48

The above may be a wind-up, but here goes....

Niles,

What's the problem?

IFR flights have been climbing and descending through the levels of VFR flights in class G for years. There has never been any serious alerted see and avoid in this - many IFR ACFT at TOD or altitude change just make a call to Centre for IFR traffic, not all make a location/atitude/intentions call - and even if they did, at many locations conflicting traffic may not hear it because they are on an adjacent Area frequency (e.g. descent into Mudgee from the south)or they just hadn't changed from their last frequency yet. I am not aware of midairs occurring in Australia because of this.

I don't use Jepps, but what paperwork are you referring to? Is it the estimate for next reporting point? Just give a value based at departure time plus flight planned estimate and correct it en-route. Simple. No need for fancy calculations on climbout through the more populated CTAF/MBZ and lower levels of G. If you really don't want to do any math, just get one of them new-fangled GPS thingies TSO'ed and otherwise (the Garmin III Pilot is great for instant multiple en-route estimates once in cruise - even betterthan the GNS 430 for this purpose!!).

BTW, IFR flying is not just the domain of paid pilots - many folks with CIRs who are fond of living and returning home to their families fly carefully and responsibly for business, as private ops.

Personally, I'm not particularly fond of NAS - it seems unnecessary change without justification - no-one has come up with convincing explanations of the proposed cost savings....but we're fooling ourselves if we think IFR ops in class G are really any more protected now than they will be under NAS. Roll on ADS-B!

Safe flying:ok:

NOtimTAMs

Manwell

5th Aug 2003 20:34

Re; Limits of See and Avoid

Dear Niles,

If you can't recognise the flaws in the BASI report then you may be either too myopic to fly an aircraft using the picture in the window, or too indoctrinated into basic IF to understand how one can fly an aircraft and look out the window at the same time!

If you wish to achieve enlightenment, try flying aero's from the back seat of a tandem taildragger - no instruments - then you might actually become a really good instrument pilot.

The frustrating thing for me about the CASA push to See and Avoid is that it was purely political. Before, when it was in their interest to push the line that See and Avoid was dodgy, (as justification for ATC mostly) they did so. Trying to convince young pilots of the stupidity of the argument fell on deaf ears.

Now, we've got TCAS. Still no need for airline pilots to look out the Goddamn window.

Did you not find it interesting to note that the report states that private VFR pilots typically spent about 50% of the time looking out, while airline pilots spent about 20% of the time scanning outside? Who sounds the more professional to you Niles? The guys with all the automation and gear in a multi-crew jet or turbo-prop, or the poor old VFR Bloggs doing his best to get there alive?

By the way Bloggs, I'm not a Private Pilot, I'm just speaking the truth as anyone will discover for themselves if they think it through thoroughly.

Mate, if the BASI report was correct, how the hell would you have survived so long before even getting into an aircraft?

Prove all things, hold fast that which is good....

Captain Custard

5th Aug 2003 21:21

Tim Tams,
You're wrong. Many IFR aircraft have been climbing thru VFR who have been on the radio above 500ft (it's the LAW), and it is also the law that IFR make a broadcast for the benefit of VFR BEFORE leaving CTA. Where I fly, it happens. I suggest that if "many IFR only make a call for traffic, not all make a location/atitude/intentions call" then they are bloody-well breaking the rules.

Your quip about the estimates is also a furphy: with any GPS, unless it's a full blown FMS (aka >US $80k), it WON'T calculate the correct estimate after takeoff, and level, in the cruise, is too late! Besides, why do you say "just add the dep time to the flight planned estimate and correct later". That is exactly the maths that Niles is talking about!

You can forget ADS-B too: are you going to fork out $20k just to avoid me? Can you imagine the Hamiltons and the Smiths of the GA world doing that?? Keep dreaming, lad. The aluminium that's going to kill me and my pax will be the VFR cowboy ripping around in E with his radio off, or worse in the "CTAF" listening to Triple M, not my IFR compatriot. They (the VFRs) are hardly likely to want to put in ADS-B eh? The current system is as safe as it needs to be for IFR vs IFR and affords far more flexibility than this E junk (provided that the rebro is turned off!!).

Manwell,
When was the last time you were in a two-crew jet trying to lookout as well as manage the machine?

1991 was the year of the report, but other excellent articles by BASI on the folly of unalerted See and Avoid appeared in "Asia Pacific Air Safety" of March 98 and Sept 98 (before DS decided that BASI were too recalcitrant and combined the mag with the CASA propaganda rag, Flight Safety Australia). Sorry, no links could be found.

Chimbu chuckles

6th Aug 2003 04:07

Manwell

The 50%/20% stat....does that make allowances for the fact that at FL 370 there's not a lot worth looking out the window at?

Believe me, when a jet is sharing airspace with VFR/Lighty traffic two pairs of eyes are on full swivel.

The fact remains that in modern aircraft at the speeds we travel at See and Avoid is a joke except as an absolute last line of defence. It is an annacronistic hang over from the early days of aviation being used for cynical political purposes by people I wouldn't trust with a kite!

Chuck.

BrianG

6th Aug 2003 06:09

Manwell,

Why the need to slur Niles or his flying ability? Do you actually know anything about Niles' flying experience/competency/knowledge?

IMHO, too many people on PPRUNE seem to think that if they put down another persons flying/techincal ability their opinions somehow carry more weight than the person they have put down. Play the ball, not the man.

NOtimTAMs

6th Aug 2003 06:29

CC -

I hope that it's actually the LAW that radios are carried by suitable ACFT above *5000* feet. Of course, gliders are not required to, for example.......I'm also pleased that you have perhaps the luxury of flying in "protected airspace" - it's still not as protected as you think. Perhaps unlike you, there are many folks whose aircraft don't have the performance to stay in CTA at al times.

I'm pleased that you are making the correct calls out of CTA. There's many a call I hear from ACFT in the radar J-curve who are perhaps lulled into complacency by being identified who merely identify a change of level or "ready for descent " or "on descent", and many calls that state they will join way point "echo alpha" for a GPS NPA for aerodrome X (menaingless for anyone who doesn't have there plates out and completely useless for VFR pilots)......that's not alerted see and avoid. And even IF all the "correct" calls are made, there are many places where potential conflicting aircraft at area boundaries will not have heard your call - what are you going to do, mandate calls on up to 3 or for adjacent area frequencies for all potential conflicting traffic?

As for jet and high performance aircraft operating on unalaerted see and avoid - despite the NOTAMs that proclaim large areas of Australia as danger areas for crossing low jet traffic, life still seems to go on as normal on the military LJRs.....

Nonetheless, I still maintain that IFR aircraft OCTA have been crossing VFR levels on unalerted see and avoid for years. Whilst radio procedures may have helped in terminal areas, and while see and avoid I also agree has important limitations, for en-route ACFT below the pressurized levels the big sky probably has had a lot to do with the lack of mid-airs.

Again, estimates for next reporting point en-route - as Niles says, TAAATS has a profile that the ASA folks seen happy to work with, the pilot in command has calculated estimates or intervals for all en-route reporting points taking into account winds/climb speeds, the pilot knows his departure time - I can't see where your problem is. I don't know too many places where I have to give an estimate for a position that I will still be climbing out over, and if I do, again GS from DME or GPS will be sufficient for a quick bit of mental calculation......don't need no FMS. If you're climbing out on a complex SID from a major airport, you're on radar...... I've never needed heads-down for an estimate. If you're too busy flying the plane, "stand-by" is a perfectly acceptable response.

ADS-B - I know, I know, tell me I'm dreamin'. Still be cheaper to distribute these than maintaining/overhauling all those SSR sites, eh?

Again, I'm sick of the VFR bashing - you can fly safely under both sets of rules, and not everyone has the luxury of flying pressurised or jet/turboprop ACFT....or the luxury of 2-crew operations. It's not "US" and "THEM" - we've been co-existing and piots have been crossing over to fly under both sets of rules for years.

Safe flying :ok:

Niles Crane

6th Aug 2003 10:34

NOtimTAMS

Good to hear some logical argument. The debate will go on....

You may be sick of the VFR bashing, but this whole NAS is IFR bashing with regulatory approval and the only force behind IFR is QF. But QF is only interested in itself!!!

I cannot see why the travelling public has to put up with a system that only benefits the private pilot and "bug smashers". Its like allowing fringe medical practitioners to conduct surgury in hospitals, the public would be in uproar.

DickyBaby

6th Aug 2003 17:28

Wrong Frequency at Mudgee?

All right, I'd be the first to admit I don't have a pilot's licence and therefore shouldn't be entitled to an opinion on procedures out in the GAFA but I have heard tell many a tale of sweaty-palmed arrivals at Mudgee, or Dubbo for that matter.

SOP for aircraft that don't transfer to the correct frequency for one reason or another is for ATC to make a broadcast on your behalf. If you're going from one area frequency straight to CTAF then we'll pass traffic to all inbound IFRs and any VFRs we know about. Still doesn't cover all contingencies but it's still better than nothing at all which is what some people believe we're doing now.

Be a bluddy good job if wasn't for all these pilots asking for stuff all the time...

Manwell

6th Aug 2003 20:28

BrianG,

Hmmm. I really tried not to personally vent my frustration on Mr Niles. No, I don't know his ability level, however it did seem that he had the same problem that I've found has afflicted other pilots, not all of them low time.

Perhaps he is experienced, if so, I am sorry. Experience should really help him to understand the reality of this issue. Perhaps you are experienced? If so, do you not understand the truth about see and avoid?

Noticed how the military seem to manage to survive from day to day despite their very low level and very high speed type of operation? How is it possible for the military to avoid objects at 660kts odd? Bit quicker than your 300kt climbout in a 73 and you don't have the benefit of radar keeping everything out of your way.

I believe that radar was dreamt up to enable pilots to come close enough to another aircraft so they could see them. Nowadays, the purpose is reversed. Even so, the NAS is being introduced so that we can grow up. We don't have to feel that we need ATC holding our hand whenever we venture skyward. We are big boys now. I'm really not being sarcastic now BrianG, this is true.
We will eventually have to come to the realization that our eyesight is really not as bad as BASI would have had us believe.
It works in the US. Think of the maths in that assertion.

SAME AREA, MANY MORE A/C, WORSE WEATHER, WORSE TERRAIN, ACCIDENT RATE ABOUT THE SAME OR LESS. Better Pilots? I hope not!

The closest I've come to a mid-air was in CTA! And this after operating for a few years in the BK training area, the busiest airspace in OZ.

The fact is that this country is bloody big. Try working out the mathematical probability of two aircraft being in the same airspace at the same altitude at the same time, even within one nm cubed, and you might just understand.

Reminds me of the mythical character who was implored to jump off a high cliff. After much protesting he was pushed. And he flew. We can fly too boys and girls...

NOtimTAMs

6th Aug 2003 20:57

Dicky Baby

Glad to get an ATC view. Don't worry about not being a qualified pilot - my pax say it's never worried them! ;) ;)

Didn't know that the broadcast on behalf was SOP for info for VFR as well as IFR acft. Is this workload permitting or a required action? What level of discrimination (i.e. 1, 2, 5, 10 NM) do you reliably get from SSR returns in the GAFA? Unless the frequencies are grouped, it could certainly be busy around Mudgee or Inverell or Coonamble for example with at least 3 potential frequencies for rebroadcast - but that just lets people know that there's ACFT about, doesn't allow for mutually arranged separation if they're on different freqencies or overflying... as you said, doesn't cover all contingencies, and still need to look out the window, jet/turboprop or bugsmasher.....

There's no requirement to carry a transponder outside A, C or E airspace (base 8500 at present) and no requirement to have a radio OCTA below 5000 or in CTAFs. Thus OCTA TCAS doesn't provide full advice then from below 8500 and radios don't provide full advice from 5000 down..... this has been the situation for some time now. I won't even mention ACFT without electrical systems! Except (perhaps) for those who fly all the time in only classes A & C, looking out the window is part of your job. Does it actually do much good at higher speeds and descending/climbing through other's level - who really knows?

Just an aside, and correct me if I'm wrong, from what I understand NAS will extend class E to lower levels and would require TXP carriage - wouldn't that potentially be safer and cost non-TXP ACFT owners some dough? Not really a welcome cost (either to install the TXP or for loss of airspace) to a significant number of private fliers.....

Niles, I'm not convinced that NAS has much to offer the private or commercial pilot over the current system - I don't see it as really any safer nor do I understand (if anyone does) where the cost-cuts are coming from.

I'm not sure if the first aiders want to run the whole health system or if the superspecialised surgeons want the first aiders to do everything to operating theatre standards. There's space for both and that's the balance we need to achieve.

As for preventing two aircraft from occupying the same airspace simultaneously, we have a combination of defenses (radio broadcast alerting, ATC alerting, TCAS if we have it, flying more slowly in dense traffic areas, looking out the window, and the big sky itself)- all have differing importance depending on the phase of flight we're in and local density of traffic and none of which are infallible. Does anyone "scientifically" know the relative importance of any/all of these in preventing en-route tangles? I understand such variables are modelled to some extent when designing airspace.

In agreement with Manwell - when it comes down to it, I would still guesstimate that outside immediate aerodrome areas, in a large country with low density traffic, the sheer statistical improbability of two objects travelling on semi-random paths occupying the same lat/long/altitude at the same time has saved more of us OCTA than un/alerted see/avoid, radio and ATC alerts combined........and yes, I do look out the window and listen to the VHF!!

Fly safely:ok:

NOtimTAMs

twodogsflying

7th Aug 2003 04:00

NOtimTAMs

What you are talking about is "airmanship", unfortunately, NAS will legislate the most important aspect out of existance and make us all use "See and Avoid" is the primary safety mitigator.

The NAS will remove the area frequencies from charts so all aircraft in "G" will have no idea what frequency they need to broardcast on when enroute. Mike Smith has publicly stated that their is no need and if you need to broardcast because of local traffic requirements, just use any frequency the local operators decide so no one else has to hear you. (last NT RAPAC meeting).

Unfortunately, NAS has not been debated properly, "the devil is in the detail" and we are finding out mostly by accident, what the limitations are. That is why I am opposed to it and why the argument of "It works in the US, so it will work here" does not hold any water, and all because for a so called benefit to GA and we can all become instructors and teach the masses how to fly. So far this is the only argument tabled in parliment for this airspace system, the Willoughby Report tabled in May.

DickyBaby

7th Aug 2003 07:47

Manwell, it's not de rigour for traffic to be passed TO VFR but certainly on KNOWN VFR. Thus we have a responsibility where we can see VFR traffic (within radar coverage) or we've been providing services to VFRs and hence know about them.

In response to what we can see, the reality is that the coastal ccorridor coverage is pretty good but thins dramatically the further west you go until by Mudgee low level is invisible. Doesn't stop you getting a service but we can't see those pesky VFRs. As has been mentioned in several other threads a reply light on your transponder doesn't necessarily mean a corresponding return on our screens. We do the best we can with what we have.

Frequency management is much more problematic. Where we combine positions the SOP is to rebroadcast all transmissions on all frequencies that are being serviced by the one ATC. There are excellent reasons for this but the real decider is that we don't have as much over-transmission. So whilst each frequency gets busier, more info gets through. When positions are decombined then there's a lot of coordination going on with the operators of adjacent airspace. Thus if you're landing DU from the north, inbound IFR traffic from the south will be given directed traffic on you by the southern operators and thus have warning prior to transfer to CTAF. All "good" VFR operators will be monitoring the appropriate Area VHF and thus note your arrival.

When ATC says "Standby" generally this is to allow them to check with other ATCs or seeks more detailed info sources for you. It's not just to finish the story about the fishing last Thursday (although it might be).

The system isn't foolproof - and as you know we get a better and better class of fool each time we change something. We pass on what information we have, we alert VFRs that are doing something that could put the flight in jeopardy - even when they're not paying for a service. Anybody who operates in around the Hunter Valley knows how many times we have to warn VFRs that they've penetrated R532 whilst the AJs are happily lobbing mortar shells at them, thinking "Wow, they've got some real moving targets in this exercise!"

A good controller is sometimes a lazy controller. That is, interfering with traffic to the smallest amount possible that yields everyone arriving in one piece. If you have just one teeny little mid-air you get tied up with barristers for years and years. Keep 'em apart and you get to go home and think about almost anything except work.:ok:

Icarus2001

7th Aug 2003 10:08

Good posts Dicky Baby.

Quote:

All "good" VFR operators will be monitoring the appropriate Area VHF and thus note your arrival.

So when the frequencies are removed from the charts "for clarity" :rolleyes: How will the pilot know which frequency to monitor?

What frequency will a pilot give a Mayday or Pan call on? If it happens to be 126.7 Mhz will another pilot who hears this call be able to relay it to ATS if they do not know the correct frequency?

Using 121.5 mhz is hit and miss and also unrecorded so ATS and SAR agencies will not have replay capability.

NOtimTAMs

7th Aug 2003 20:44

**WARNING - longwinded, may cause eyes to glaze over and inhibit scan **

To go back to the start of the post re: limitations of "see & avoid"

For those who fly in A & C only - not really an issue until someone with their transponder and radio off wander into their tracks outside primary radar cover;

For those who fly in D,G & E -

a. for radio broadcasts to be effective you need parties with operating radios listening on the same frequency delivering information on ACTUAL position and intentions - I think that all three requirements for this to be a consistently helpful defense are frequently not met;

b. for ATC broadcasts to be effective - ditto plus requirement to be radar visible and/or known traffic;

c. for TCAS - need a TCAS unit in your ACFT and operating transponders in the other ACFT - not mandatory outside class E (below 8500 at this stage) or ACFT without electrical systems, thus frequently not effective - what do the RPT guys do from 8500' (transponder mandatory in E) down to 5000' (radio mandatory in MBZ)? Cross their fingers, trust TCAS, slow down to look out the window, speed descent to minimise exposure or know that the big sky will protect them?;

d. alerted see & avoid - how many times have you been given info on traffic at 2 miles +/- 1000' at x o'clock and still not been able to see them? If you are on frequency though, at least you can arrange some mutual agreement on altitudinal separation....;

e. unalerted see and avoid - en route, this is virtually the same as big sky and occurs when the other defenses above are not present (which is frequently);

f. see and avoid approaching the circuit area (where most midairs occur) - at least we do slow down, look in the areas most likely to yield traffic as well as perform a general scan for traffic and we are hypervigilant - a state that we can maintain for the short period of time of joining circuit and landing, but not for the long periods of en-route. See and avoid is more likely to be successful in this environment but is not infallible. Only positive control down to ground level can improve on this, but is not affordable/practical outside major centres

g. Big sky - the statistical improbability that two ACFT will occupy precisely the same volume of airspace at precisely the same time protects us a lot more often than we think

My point is not that airmanship will save us, but that:
1. there are already frequent large gaps in the defenses available to us for prevention of en-route midairs,
2. that we do not really know or have quantified the relative or additive contributions that each of these defenses actually make;
3. that see and avoid (alerted or not) is very fallible as BASI indicates, and especially en-route;
3. that despite these current real gaps we don't have a tradition of en-route collisions;
4. we don't really know what effect that things such as withdrawing common radio communications outside controlled space will have - we just have opinions, which are like fundamental orifices... but I certainly agree with Icarus that the issue of emergency comms has not been adequately addressed

To interpret US vs Aust statistics on mid-airs we really need to consider en-route rates (not absolute numbers) only and factors such as traffic density. (I don't know about you, but I find the ATSB site frustrating to get any meaningful statistical information on this or many other topics.....:ugh: ).

Sentiment and the way I've been trained (often based on instructor's/check pilots habits and training, not always based on logic! ;) ) lean me to supporting the status quo rather than NAS but I'm open minded enough to to consider alternatives, and that NAS may even *possibly* be safety neutral relative to the current airspace in view of the above remarks.....but by God, the silence from the ARG is deafening :zzz:

Fly safely:ok:

NOtimTAMs

WhatWasThat

8th Aug 2003 17:01

NoTimtams,
A couple of points for consideration, from the ATC side of the mike.

Re ATC alerted see and avoid - this seems to me to not be see and avoid at all, but more often pilot arranged procedural separation, I can count on one hand the number of times I have passed traffic to two IFRs and they have continued on their merry way without speaking to each other to arrange something. This makes me question the pilots faith in "see and avoid". Surely if the pilots were confident that they could sight and manoevre to avoid conflicting traffic, they would not be talking to each other at all.

Re Big Sky - whilst the sky is big the number of frequently travelled aerodromes is considerably smaller, this means that the probability of two aircraft welding cannot be assessed based on the total volume of australian airspace. Aircraft don't travel on random paths, they alter altitude and speed on a fixed trajectory between point A and B, this makes it much more likely that someone going B to A will hit you. The volume of Sky within which all the planes routinely operate would be a very small fraction of the total volume of Australian airspace, it only gets smaller as improved Nav performance means aircraft are closer to the nominal track between A and B. Even if the air route system were removed and free flight became the norm, the sky would still not be as big as it seems, as aircraft would still be contained in "corridors" between aerodrome pairs.

putting aside reciprocal tracks, I am still amazed at how often aircraft on crossing tracks in the GAFA or ocean arrive at the crossing point at the same time.Even with all that sky out there, we still have to move them more often than you might think. Admittedly the closest measurement I can make is to the minute, and there is still plenty of room within that tolerance for a miss - but its close enough for me.

NOtimTAMs

8th Aug 2003 19:42

Like that handle - "WhatWasThat"

If you read my posts, you'll see we agree on the unreliability of see and avoid in all but the most structured environments.

We also agree that ACFT tracks are semi-random, as I have said above in previous postings, and as you say. They are "micro-modified" by things such as compass, DG, pilot and altimeter accuracy which give significant random variation to the actual 3-D path followed through the sky. In addition, those using coupled TSO'ed GPS's usually have a track offset to avoid oncoming..... Even with the "corridors" you suggest, there is a significant scope for random variation.

The places (especially outside C towers) which are frequently travelled by IFR ACFT are also more frequently travelled by VFR ACFT. Some of these places are CTAF's, some are MBZ's. There are plenty of spots where climb/descent/en-route IFR ACFT mix it with VFR ACFT and other IFR ACFT where they will not necessarily be on the same frequency (or otherwise be incapable of hearing each other), may not be visible on ATC radar, may not have TCAS/TXP's. For example, think Temora on a museum flying weekend with arrival/departures of jets/turbine/light GA/ultralights. Why then is there not a history of en-route midairs (or even climb/descent midairs) if such situations are common and we agree that see and avoid is so fallible????

How far is a minute ahead? Depends on the closing speeds - head on at 200KTS (i.e. 2 Skyhawks!) its 6 km, for 400 KTS its 12 km - that's a lot, really. If overtaking, can be very close indeed. Exactly what *distances* (not time) are you able to discriminate?

Bear in mind that sometimes one reason IFR pilots talk to each other when given the opportunity is not for pure operational reasons, but because John Laws or the country music on the ADF is boring them!! ;)

Safe flying :ok:

NOtimTAMs

DickyBaby

9th Aug 2003 12:28

Icarus2001

It's actually worse than you might think. Pilots and ATCs are both lamenting the removal of frequencies from charts. This simple aide memoire helps us just as much as the weekend pilot. Nothing better than looking up at the chart over your head to confirm that the correct frequency for Oodnagallarby West is 128.55 (or whatever).

Despite what some people seem to think, most ATCs believe that they're there for a reason - something to do with enabling safe, orderly and expeditious flow of traffic (sorry strike expeditious, it's now cost-effective since affordable safety). Unfortunately the way of the industry at the moment is a push for provision of less services rather than more as it appears we can't afford the level of service we now have. Hence positions combined more often, more frequency congestion, less ability to deal with routine requests - we don't even give QNH anymore although I have heard some "overservicing" occuring.

I'm pretty proud of the Australian industry. We have a record not matched elsewhere and it's not all down to big sky. The vast bulk of our traffic is on the eastern seaboard. As long as all of us keep pushing for the best we can do then we should survive.

OOPS
DELETE SOAPBOX
GOSUB "SIGNOFF"

SIGNOFF

Getting back to frequencies, we don't monitor CTAF or 121.5. Sorry. We have to rely on you guys to let us know so we start the SAR process. Get alll your mates to keep there eyes and ears open and hopefully we'll all get home in one piece.

Captain Custard

9th Aug 2003 20:01

Tim Tam,

What jets go to Temora during the museum weekend, and is this a regular occurrence?

PS: You are a red herring merchant:

+ TSO'd GPSs do NOT have an inbuilt track offset, and if you are IFR, it is illegal to be off track unless you're operating in OCA. And operating a GPS off-track, while being a good idea, is a pain because at the next waypoint it tries to steer you back on track, requiring a continual re-fiddle. I can assure you, sunshine, I have seen more metal go over or under my window than is made into cars! In the old days, it used to be "over there, or over there", but not any more. And I'll bet you london to a brick that your average joe-blow VFR is now spending more time in the cockpit drooling over his GPS than looking out!

+ There are not plenty of places where aircraft mix it not on the same frequency. And the current CTAF requires all aircraft with a radio to use it: the NAS does not. Given the spruiking of Dick Smith on the matter, there will very rapidly be a plethora of red-necks not talking because they don't have to.

+ The overtaking scenario is a furph and the least dangerous: now that Dick got rid of quadrantal levels, aircraft can be almost head-on. Read the BASI report and all your questions on See and Avoid will be answered.